Processing at RenEco’s new animal feed production facility in Chelveston, Northamptonshire, has now started in collaboration with Tesco. The facility has been designed to manufacture animal feed by processing the supermarket’s surplus bakery and produce, further driving circularity in Tesco’s supply chain.
The facility is owned and operated by RenEco, Tesco’s existing food waste partner. The plant will process the supermarket’s surplus bakery and produce that has already been offered to Tesco colleagues and charity partners.
Unlike other processing sites, the feed plant has been designed to handle packaged food delivered in supermarket cages, as well as having the capability to handle bulk volume and palletised materials from food manufacturing site.
Surplus is collected from every UK Tesco store and transported via the supermarket’s distribution network. On arrival at the animal feed plant all cages are weighed and automatically analysed for feed safety, the bakery and produce materials are then quality checked and mechanically de-packaged. The final products are then mixed to produce a formulated feed to the end farms specifications.
Eventually, it is intended that feed produced at the site will be supplied to farmers supplying Tesco and its food producers.
The feed plant is located within the Chelveston Renewable Energy Park and is powered by 100% renewable power from wind and solar. The site is strategically located in the middle of the country to minimise Tesco’s carbon impact, as well as being close to the supermarket’s rail hub.
The site operates 52 weeks of the year and at peak can handle up to 1000 tonnes of product a week. RenEco is committed to recruiting and training local people to aid employment opportunities within the surrounding communities.
The flexibility and scale will allow the new processing plant to handle food surplus from other retailers, Tesco suppliers and food manufacturers, making it transformative in the way food waste is handled in the UK.
Christine Heffernan, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer at Tesco, said: “The Chelveston site marks a step change in our ambition to drive more circularity and sustainability in our food system. It’s ability to handle surplus from our suppliers and other retailers makes it potentially transformational in how waste is handled in the UK and will be instrumental in helping Tesco to reduce its food waste.”
Tom Osborne, Food By-Products Operations Manager at RenEco, said: “By collaborating with Tesco we have been able to design, build and operate a facility that provides an innovative solution to create a circular supply chain. We are passionate about providing a product which is both nutritional and less carbon intensive than traditional feeds. Our investment in this facility is another example of RenEco’s commitment to providing industry leading solutions to our partners and customers.”
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